Border Staff Seek Swiss Restrooms Amid Italian Customs Office Renovation

– Needs at the border – Como. Customs officers at Ponte Chiasso are dealing with an issue that makes their urgent needs more complicated: to find the nearest bathroom, they have to – literally – go to Switzerland. And ask for asylum from their Swiss colleagues.

Although it may seem paradoxical, it is this situation that has arisen at the Ponte Chiasso border, where renovation works on the customs office have been ongoing since March, making bathrooms inaccessible for the 22 Italian finance police officers.

For months now, Italian customs officers, who since last March handle customs procedures from a container without phone or toilet facilities, have been forced to seek hospitality from their Swiss colleagues.

Source

(Il Giornale December 30, 2000)